How to get my cooking fix with only an induction burner?

My apartment building has been without cooking gas since April 1 due to widespread leaky pipes (worst April Fool's joke ever...), and my boyfriend and I are reduced to take out or whatever we can make in a crock pot or our induction burner with no end to this madness in sight. Cooking is my Zen thing, and I'm wondering if anyone has any fun ideas (simple or complicated) that they could recommend to spice up our one-burner life. Thanks in advance!

6 Comments

I guess one-pot meals are your answer...lots of soups, paellas (and/or arroz con pollos, dirty rices), gumbos and etoufes, braises, risottos, stews.
Tacos/burritos use one pan just to fry the fish, the rest is all in the raw ingredients (i make a spicy mayo and a mango salsa with my fish tacos or a chimichurri with my beef tacos).
or go the other route and look for things that don't need to be cooked at all but are still fun to make, especially since it's summer. fish ceviches and tartars or salmon gravlax (i have a great recipe for beet cured salmon, but i think i also saw a recipe on F52's instagram the other day as well).
My final suggestion...steam a lobster. that hits all the major food groups right?

I think the trick is to remember that one burner doesn't necessarily translate only to one pot meals. Anything that you can make part, set aside, then reheat or combine for the finished meal will work - and that should open up a lot of options.

I immediately think of curries or stir fry as options. This is my favorite Pad Thai recipe - you could easily make the noodles then heat the oil instead of doing it simultaneously. http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/recipes/red-thai-pad-thai.html

There's a category in the Food52 recipes for "One-Pot Wonders" so that would be a fantastic starting point. Below are just a few that jumped out at me.

Thank you all so much for your great suggestions! I really want to make the best of a less than ideal scenario, rather than sit around stewing (literally and figuratively) about it. Daniel, your lobster suggestion made my day! Lobster salad is most certainly a vegetable :D

2 words for you: Toaster Oven. Maybe you do not want something taking up space in an apartment but if this is going to last for a while a toaster oven will really expand your repertoir; baked pastas, pizza, roasted chicken, broiled fish etc . It's not your oven but it is good in a pinch. it will pay for itself if you cook home twice rather than going out because you are tired of your one pot meals.